Monday, December 8, 2008

Look, I can understand the maternal mechanism or hormonal surge that tells us at a certain time in our life that we need to breed.

But if I had found out that I was unable to have children in a country as populous as India, with its countless unwanted and abandoned children, I would have opted for ADOPTION.

But nooooo...that's not what this woman did.After 55 years of a childless marriage, this elderly lady had fertility treatments and gave birth at the age of 72.70-freakin- 2!

From the Telegraph

New mother Rajo Devi, "We longed for a child all these years and now we are very happy to have one in the twilight years of our life."Husband Ram said he wasn't worrying over who would look after the child if they died."The upbringing of the child is not a problem. We have a joint family as is common in rural Haryana," he said.The couple said they were facing social stigma for being childless for the last 55 years.

I'm so culturally ignorant that I didn't realize that social stigma played a big part in the lives of people who are over the age of 70. I sort of thought that by the age or 60 or maybe 70 you've matured to the point of not really giving a damn about what others think of you. Apparently that is not the case in rural India.